Preserved wood and method of making same.



3 x and is carried out preferably in the follow- Iran. aria carton.

ROBERT ATHELSTAN MARK, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN WOOD ENCYSTING: C0,, INCORPORATED, 013 NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA.

tarmac.

j rnnsnnvnnwoon AND METHOD or MAKING SAME.

- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec, 22, 191% No Drawing. Original application filed February s, 1913, semi No. 747,169. Divided and this application -fi1ed January 13,1914..Seria1 No. 811,914.

To all whom'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT MARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ghent, Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and .useful Improvements in I 'tobe treated is first soaked in a volatile hydrocarbon, such as .gasolene, after which it is immersed in a bath containing melted parafiinand diatomaceous earth,which mixture enters the pores, ducts and cells of the timber andthoroug-hly. permeates and en- 'cysts these. In my other U. S. Patent No.

1,023,784, dated April 16, 1912, I have de- I scribed a process in Which'timber is immersed in a. bath of molten paraflin and naphthalene, which materials enter and encyst the pores, ducts and sap channels of .the :wood.

:The process of the present application combines features of both these processes,

ing manner: Wood is immersed in a bath containing a mixture of paraliin, naphthalene' and Paris green, with or without diatomaceous earth, whilesaid bath is at a temperature somewhat above the boiling point of water, a temperature of near 240 F. being preferred. The temperature should not be carried very much above this limit, since at higher temperatures the strength of the wood may be impaired. The air and moisture in the ducts. of the wood are driven out by the action of the naphthalene in the bath, and

- the melted mixture, carrying the diatomaceous earth, rapidly enters and takes its "place, and. thoroughly encysts the pores and ducts of the wood. 7

The bath ispreferablycomposed of'the materials in the following proportions (by weight) although the invention is not lin1- ited, thereto, parafiin, 100 parts; naphtha- ATHELSTAN lene 5 to 15 parts, Paris green, 1 part, to

which diatomaceous earth, 2 to 5 parts, may be added if desired.

, In carrying out this process any variety of wood may be thoroughly permeated by the mixture, from center to circumference,

such woods as beach, pine, oak, gum, Douglas fir, etc., many of which cannot be inr pregnated by the ordinary vacuum and pressure process, using hot creosote, except very superficially, and moreover'several kinds of same bath, and the Wood may be in either a horlzontal or vertical or inclined position.

When it is desired to treat a part only of the length of a stick, for example a pile,'it may be stood up on end, in a tank contain- 'ing the mixture, in which case the paraffin wood may be treated simultaneously in the some distance, withinthe wood, above the surface of the bath. v

Bent samples of the various hard and soft woods, both green and dry have been treated -,-,1n accordance with my present invention, with only a sector of the bent portion imnersed; the encysting' mixture thoroughly impregnates the wood Where immersed and is carried up considerable distance toward each end.

It is to be noted that eithergreen or seasoned wood may be treated, and the impregnation, when using green wood is not only as complete as when using dry wood, but it takes places in a shorter time, and both green and dry wood may be treated together, in the same bath. Another point of great Value is the fact that wood with the bark on, or sawed timber may be treated equally well, and in both these cases absolutely complete impregnation can be secured. This is particularly surprising in using. such wood as Southern pine, which, in order to be creosoted must not only have its outer bark removed, but also the inner bark or skin must also be substantially completely removed, since creosote, even 'hot and under heavy pressure cannot pass through this inner bark or skin, as has been repeatedly demonstrated, to the sorrow ofmany firms attempting to impregnate this variety of wood with creosote, by the well-known vacuum and pressure processes.- 1 I: V a

.The use of a temperatureof somewhat above the boiling pointof water,,in place of'somewhat below, asfin my processes in thepatents} above referred ,to','"n1'akes the actionctake placein very rnuch l es'stime and v consequmitly saves time andmoney in the,

operation offtheprocessfand accelerates the action ofthe preservative'on the wood.

a I find that in some instances it is neither necessary nor desirable to lower the temperature of thebath before removing the wood therefrom. Accordingly the bath may be maintained at a uniform, temperature, as

- nearly as possible, wood being immersed;

and taken out whenimpregnated, and then more wood immersed. The absorption of the material by the wood is compensated for by suitable additions of the materials tothe bath, from time to time, as necessary. 5

' It is easyto see when the impregnation and encysting is complete, as no more bubbles are given off from the surface of the wood.

If it is dtsiredto supersaturate the treated materia and leave the main ducts and pores completely filled a drop in temperas temperature.

ture is preferable, or the timber may be im-' mersed in another similar bath at a lower The apparatus preferably used, in. carry 7 ing out my process is an .open tank with heating means, such/as steam coils therein,

and it is unnecessary to employ vacuum or pressure in carrying out the process, which also effects a great saving in the process.

On account of the factthat the bubbles of air and steam coming out of the wood, will in most cases, keep the bath snificiently-agitated', it is not ordinarily necessary to pro. vide stirring means.

finely divided material, of which over 90% will pass through" the meshes ofla sieve or bolting cloth having 40,000 meshes per square inch, and this 1s carried by the meltedparaflin into the interior of theiwood. The function of this, as in my prlor patent,

isto .leave a hard solid material in the '1n'-' terstices of the wood which'will prevent tlIe v action of teredo, 1imnoria,'etc., whose mandi-blesare composed essentially of carbonatev of lime (a material much softer than the silica of whichthe diatomsare composed).

And the magma adds strength and resilienceto treated woods. 1

The Paris green while a fine powder, is much coarser than the diatomaceous earth, and consequently does not enterthe wood to anygreat extent, but remains as a coatis ing, on,;and somewhat beneath the surface of the wood. This will efi'ectually prevent 'However,,,.-stirring. meansmay 1n some nstancesbeadvlsable.

The diatomaceofis earth is an extremelythe actiorrof wood-destroying insects, also most forms-cfwood destroying fungi, since as well known-it is a poison to both insect life and fungi. v The parafiin acts toprevent the entrance of moisture, fungi, spores, and actsas a preservative tothetnnber, since wood cannot decay-in the absence of water. It is dinary paraffin, in a molten condition, since thls parafiin merely: forms a coating over the minute cells and cavities of the wood.

- I have, however, found thatethe addition .01

naphthalene acts as a carrier; to cause the paraffin to readily be carriedinto the small-- estpores and cavitie's of'the wood being very difiicult to impregnate wood with orthe surface of the wood, and does not enter treated, This may be due 'to the "fact that i the naphthalene is somewhat volatile; and" in. starting to 'vapo'rize' it. drives out the moisture, or air in'thewood, and then'the paraflin enters.v Moreover the naphthalene cleansout the tissue ducts of the timber, to

ash

make it possible for the mixture to enter.

The wood when-treated according to this process is also stronger and heavier than efore treatment, which is also a valuablefeature of the process.

Wood, when encysted according to my present process, will efi'ectually resist any form of wood destroying fungus, insect,

worm, or any ,form of decayw- It is obvious that in place of naphthalene, I can employ other aromatic hydrocarbons v ofthis type, which are somewhat volatile,

suehas homologues or naphthalene, may be parafiin, a magma, which, uporicooling solidifies within the ducts of the wood toc produce a-supporting cylinder therein.

This application is a division, of my 00- pending application, Serial No. 747,169,

and Feb. 8, 1913.

The treatment of certain varieties of fwood, with mixtures such as are herein de scribed, is claimed in my copending'applications, SerialnNumbers 811,909 and 811,910, filed concurrently herewith. The treatment of wood with paraflin, diatomaceous earth and naphthalene: is claimed in the parent case above referred to..

- What I*claim i s:

1 -A process of reserving wood; which comprises immersing said wood in a bath containing a non-volatile, water -'insoluble izo V material solid at ordinary temperature, said material having a melting point 'not 'ovr 212 F.; a somewhat Volatile hydrocarbon of the aromatic series; andan insoluble insecticidal body.

2. A process of preserving wood, which comprises immersing said wood ,in a bath 1 containing normally solid parafiin, naphthalene and Paris green at substantially atmospheric pressure. I

3. A process of preserving wood, which comprises immersingsaid wood in a bath containing normally solid parafiin," naph-,

thalene and Paris gre'enyat atemperature somewhat above the boiling point of water,

' and thereafter allowing said bath to cool to a temperature below theboiling point of water.

' and van aromatic hydrocarbo'n, sal

A 'prodnctdconsisting of wood, the.

pores, ducts and cells of which are encysted wit-h a solid mixture comprising solid paraffin, and an aromatic hydrocarbon, said wood having acoating comprisin a waterprooflayer including solidpara and an insoluble insecticidal body.

5. A- product consistin' of wood, the pores, ducts and cells of w ich are encysted with a solid, mixture comprising araflin wood being coated with a mixture, including solid paraffin and Paris green. I

'In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT ATHELSTAN MARR.

WitneSsesz' JANEY Horn 'Mann, A. B. FOSTER. 

